The LGBTQ Resource Center is closed until further notice. Staff are working remotely and available to assist students, please reach out directly for any assistance. Please see our calendar for updates about events and programs moved online. For student resources and support during the COVID-19 outbreak, please visit the SSRI Resources page or the UArizona COVID-19 page.

Safe Zone

What is Safe Zone?

Safe Zone is a campus-wide training program committed to making The University of Arizona a safer, more welcoming, and inclusive environment for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community. The intention of the program is to shift campus climate through education. All workshops are free and open to the campus community. Any student, staff, or faculty member is welcome and all are strongly encouraged to participate. An individual’s participation in Safe Zone often sends a strong message to campus community members that they are an identifiable source of support and nurturance for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty on our campus.

How does someone become Safe Zone trained?

The Safe Zone Training is now online, and all learning materials are on D2L (Desire to Learn). This workshop is multimedia, incorporating videos, discussion boards, and online assessments.

In order to receive full Safe Zone certification, participants must complete both the General Education and Ally Development workshops. While the General Education workshop can be made mandatory by supervisors or professors, participation in the Ally Development workshop is always elective. We believe that while you can require an employee or student to become educated about the LGBTQ+ community, a person’s decision to practice allyship must be fully voluntary and based in genuine commitment and care.

General Education Workshop, 2-3 hours

This workshop is designed to introduce University of Arizona community members to the identities and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Workshop participants will be introduced to definitions related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and other important terminology; will learn about how to move away from thinking of identity as binary and to a continua model; will hear students at the University of Arizona identify issues they encounter on campus; and will be asked to reflect on their own identities. Participants who complete this workshop will receive a digital badge via Credly, which can be displayed in their email signature as marker of their support and commitment to the LGBTQ+ community as well as their position as a potential resource for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff.

Ally Development Workshop, 2-3 hours

This workshop is designed to be the second part to the General Education Safe Zone Workshop. The material in this workshop builds on the groundwork laid by the previous workshop. Workshop participants will be introduced to concepts of identity and privilege to help explain how being an ally can be complicated work. Participants will be able to engage with student panel videos where issues specific to campus are shared and come up with ways in which they can create tangible change in their roles on campus. Finally, participants will be asked to reflect on their own identities and ideas of what allyship means. Participants who complete this workshop will receive an additional digital badge as well as a Safe Zone Placard which can be displayed in a person’s office space or desk.

How do I register for Safe Zone trainings?

Digitizing Safe Zone Training

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We spent 2017 converting Safe Zone into an online training module through D2L. A beta-test happened from March 20-April 7, 2017 and the digitized workshop launched January of 2018. LGBTQ+ Resource Center Students were involved with the curriculum design, participated in video interviews, and helped with the video production. 117 registrants participated in the beta test, including 39 stakeholders (faculty, staff, and graduate students with a vested interest in an online Safe Zone program or in social justice) and 78 undergraduate students. The project is made possible through the generous support and collaboration of the Office of Digital Learning, the Dean of Students, and the Office for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence.

How is Safe Zone funded?

Safe Zone is funded by the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the Dean of Students Office, the Office for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), and by funds from the LGBT-Straight Alliance Fund, a special project of the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.

Who do I contact if I have questions, require special accommodations, experience registration issues, or want to request a training?

Please refer registration issues, special accommodations, and any questions to the Graduate Assistant for Ally Development with the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, by email: wildcatsafezone@gmail.com or phone: (520) 626-1996.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University prohibits discrimination in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and is committed to maintaining an environment free from sexual harassment and retaliation. For more information, please visit the Office of Institutional Equity.